Within
by DarylDixon'sgirl1985
Summary: Luke's reflections on his life before and after his death.


**Hey I'm back again with another story. This is for Evil? Challenge of PJFC. I hope you all enjoy. Warning of character death.**

Luke laughed to himself as lay there with the taste of blood coming into his mouth. He couldn't help it. What had told Annabeth when they were younger? Not judge a book by its cover. And what had that almost gotten his friend. He had almost killed her.

At one point in time Luke had looked at Annabeth as a kid sister. And Thalia could have possibly been his girlfriend. Could have. That was another time. Another Luke. But he has fallen to what Kronos has made of him. Not what Luke has made of himself.

He just wants one last chance to tell his friends. His true friends. And those poor kids. Those other demigods he roped into helping Kronos regain power. He wants to tell them all it wasn't worth it. It's not worth to lose your life and freedom.

He wants to tell Ethan and Selena that he's sorry they had to die because of him. One more weight to lay at his dying feet. He can see them now. He wouldn't blame them if they both cursed him with their dying breath. It would be more than he deserved. It was his fault that they had fallen. His and no one else's.

And then his eyes settle on Percy. Percy even to the end hadn't wanted to hurt him. He was only trying to make Luke see what was in front of his eyes. The one thing Luke himself didn't want to see until this very moment. And it wasn't fair that he ignored Percy. It wasn't fair that he couldn't just go back and accept any number of the chances that Percy extended to him to come back to the light.

He admits it to himself. This is what he had feared all along. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want o feel the life force flowing from him. He didn't want to be tasting his lifes blood. Again he had no one to blame but himself. And this time he has good reason for not blaming himself. He was dying for their better good. To give Thalia, Annabeth, Percy and the other a chance at life that he denied himself.

He sees a bright light and instead of running the other way like he wants to. He really really wants to stay here. He goes right towards.

Charon give him a knowing look as pays his way across the river Styx. And there they are Selena, Ethan, a few other demigods he lead astray. He can hardly look at them. He can't look to see if they are glaring. He doesn't want. He doesn't want to let them know they were all wrong.

He nearly jumps out of his skin when he feels Selena's hand on his. He didn't expect any act of kindness from anyone. Especially her. Not after he killed Beckendorf. But he accepts the small comfort her act brings.

They finally make it across the river to judgement. Selena quickly agrees to be reborn and is ushered to Lethe. Ethan decides to against rebirth. He doesn't think he can handle going through that again. And Luke doesn't blame the kid one tiny bit.

He waits to be seen for quite some time. He knows his crimes are numerous. He knows that it is a lot to discuss. And he wouldn't blame anyone if they just forgo the trail and send to the fields of punishment.

But then his name is finally called. And his thoughts are jumble as his judges, one of whom is Lord Hades himself, bring up his many crimes. But then Lord Hades does something Luke had never heard of before. He gave him another chance.

Luke wants to cry. And he almost does for a second. "Why Lord Hades do you believe I deserve another chance?" he asked.

"What lies behind and before us are tiny matter compared to what lies within us," said Hades. "Or says the son of Apollo Ralph Waldo Emerson. And I believe that in this case he is entirely right in his judgement."

Luke considers this and then decides to be reborn as well.

He is lead to Lethe in silence. He smiles sadly as he thinks maybe he would go for Elysium. Then he thinks no more.

**I know this more reflective than it is anything. This is sort of my time dealing with this type of story. Please let me know what you think of it.**


End file.
